Oladipo would want to participate in the dunk contest if Magic vets give the OK

November 4, 2013|By Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel

Victor Oladipo showed he can execute a 360 dunk during the Orlando Magic's win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night.

But would the Magic rookie be willing to unleash a few more dunks during the slam dunk contest at the 2014 All-Star Weekend in New Orleans?

Yes, he would — as long as he gets the OK from the Magic's elder statesmen.

"I'd have to ask my vets and see what they think," Oladipo said Monday when asked if he'd participate in the dunk contest.

"If they say yeah, then I'll do it."

Oladipo provided a highlight-reel dunk early in the fourth quarter of Orlando's 107-86 win over Brooklyn. He tipped the ball away from Nets point guard Deron Williams and scooped the ball up as it approached midcourt.

Oladipo dribbled to the hoop, jumped, spun 360 degrees and dunked.

Arron Afflalo was asked Monday how he would've graded Oladipo's slam.

"Three," Afflalo said, smiling.

"I think he traveled. I watched the replay. I don't know how you take one dribble from halfcourt and do a 360. But he's extremely athletic. He played very, very well last game. He played with a lot of poise. His shot selection, I thought, was great. And his overall aggression, picking his spots, was great. So, I was happy for him to play well. He's a great guy for the crowd, and hopefully he continues to play at that level."

Oladipo, who always defers credit to teammates, laughed when he was told that Afflalo gave his dunk three stars out of 10.

"Yeah, it wasn't all that," Oladipo said, smiling. "I've got a lot of stuff I've got to work on."

Oladipo scored 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting against the Nets. He gathered six rebounds and distributed four assists, but he was displeased with himself for turning the ball over seven times.

Flagrant upheldAn NBA official said league disciplinary specialists upheld the Flagrant 1 foul that was called on Nik Vucevic during the Magic's regular-season opener Oct. 29 against the Indiana Pacers.

With 8:12 remaining in the fourth period, Vucevic collected an offensive rebound after a teammate missed a free throw.

Pacers guard Orlando Johnson also went up for the rebound, and as Johnson landed, his left hand hit Vucevic's face.

Vucevic dribbled to his right, and as he moved, his right elbow hit Johnson on the chest. Johnson fell backward and onto the court.

A Flagrant 1 foul — defined as "unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent" — is less severe than a Flagrant 2 foul.

The league office reviews all flagrant fouls and has the right to reclassify a flagrant foul or reclassify a personal foul into a flagrant foul.

A player receives one point on his disciplinary record for each Flagrant 1 foul he commits and two points for each Flagrant 2 foul he commits.

Players are automatically suspended by the league for one or two games once they exceed five points during a single season.

Near honorAfflalo and three players from other teams were nominated for the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award. The winner was Philadelphia 76ers' rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams, the league announced Monday.

The other nominees were Indiana Pacers swingman Paul George and Detroit Pistons big man Greg Monroe.